Lighting fixture



July 19, 1938. J. 5. HAMEL ET AL, 2,124,417

I LIGHTING FIXTURE Filed June 18, 1937 [:13 PIC-3.1.1 45

INVENTORS J SAMUEL HAMEL RICH/1RD CE/VGEL/fE/V ATTORNEYS Patented July 19, 1938 2,124,411 PATENT OFFICE LIGHTING FIXTURE J. Samuel Hamel, Babylon, N. Y., and Richard C.

UNITED STATES Engelken, Clifton, N. J., asslgnors, assignments, to New York World's Fair, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation York by mesnc 1939- of New Application June 18, 1937, Serial No. 148,865 3 Claims. (Cl. 240'-93) This invention relates to lighting fixtures and,

I light transmitting medium so constructed and arranged as to permit the aforesaid objects to be obtained.

Broadly the light transmitting medium has spaced surface portions defined by other surface portions, certain of said surfaces being so treated that light emerging therefrom is of a color different from the light emerging from the untreated surfaces.

In carrying the invention into eiiect a lens or other light transmitting medium of generally disc-like shape is formed on its lower face with a plurality of annular substantially vertical concentric faces defining, in effect, lower face section's lying, conveniently, in concentric spheres, the vertical faces being so treated that the light passing therethrough in a generally lateral direction is of the same or'respectively different colors as required to give the color effects desired.

These and other objects of the invention and the means for their attainment will be more apparent from the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing illustrating various embodiments by which the invention may be realized, and in which:

Figure 1 is a view in vertical section showing one form taken by the invention; and

Figure 2 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view, on an enlarged scale, showing details of the lens. v

In the illustrated embodiment the lens of this invention is shown incorporated in a lighting fixture adapted to be secured, say, in an opening H in the ceiling I3 of a building. The opening H is conveniently circular but may be rectangular or any other shape. A continuous element or frame of the shape of the .opening is formed with a downwardly extending lens ring retaining portion l5. A laterally extending portion ll may serve not only to position the fixture against the undersurface of the ceiling l3 but also, together with the member I5, receive and position the lens and its associated parts. Inwardly, the portion [1 carries the upwardly extending part I!) which fits within the aperture II and positions the fixture therein. In spaced relation, about the positioning rim it, are upwardly extending tongues 2| preferably integral with the rim is, and in the plane thereof, which tongues, after installation,

may be bent as shown over the top of the ceiling l3 to firmly clamp the edge of the opening ll between the lateral portion I1 and the tabs or tongues 2|.

The lens or other ornamental light transmitting instrumentality is indicated at supported within a lens ring which, is conveniently angle shaped in cross section', the edge of the lens 25 resting on the laterally extending portion 21 of the lens ring and is positioned'against displacement by the upwardly extending part 29 thereof. The lens is conveniently held in the lens ring as by the downwardly bent end 3| of spaced tongues secured to the inner face of the lens ring. Thelens ring 2'|-'-29 is conveniently movably mounted with respect to the frame member l 5-l9 to permit replacement of the lamp 33, for instance, and to permit-cleaning of the rear face of the lens, its replacement as desired and the cleaning of the reflector 35 as occasion arises.

A metal outlet box '45 formed with suitable apertures for the passage of suitable electrical conductors may carry any convenient kind of a lamp socket. The lamp enters the socket 49 through an opening in the lower face of'the box 45. To the rim of this opening may be secured,

as by screws 5| or the like, a reflector 35 of any convenient shape.

It will be obvious that if the lamp is close to the lens 25, as shown in full lines in Figure 1, that a large area in front of the lens will be illuminated whereas if the lamp 33 is moved further away from the lens, a smaller area will be illuminated. Any desired degree of illumination m'ay,therefore, be obtained by suitably positioning the box 45 and with it, of course, the lamp 33 and to this end it is proposed to mount the box 45 and therebythe lamp 33 and reflector 35, if

present, on a plurality of arms, say three or four, in the form of semi-rigid strips, conveniently of metal, indicated at 53. The upper ends 55 of the arms may be bent inwardly and secured, as by welding, to the edges of the box 45 and the lower ends may be bent downwardly, as shown at 51,

when the required length of the strip 53 as a whole has been determined, and soldered or welded to the rim 19 of the frame member l5--l9. The lamp 33 may be spaced any distance from the opening H dependent upon the length of the strips 53. These strips may, of .course, be metal of the character which can bereadily bent to shape, conveniently cut off to the length desired, and yet be of a stiffness sufllcient to support the lamp at the desired elevation.

In the embodiment illustrated the lens is spaced from the opening in 'the ceiling. Anupright frame member SI surrounds and is conveniently welded to the sides 29 of the lens ring. It is preferably of the same shape and size as the element l5. 1

As illustrated, a member 63, angle shaped in cross-section, may also be welded to the supporting member, above the lens ring 27, 29, as a support not only for a surrounding drum $5 positioned between the flange l5 and the rim 65, but also as the means for carrying the lens ring structure; It is perforated at a plurality of spaced points for the reception of connecting bolts 61 which also pass through corresponding apertures in the horizontal portion ll of the fixture i52fl. These bolts or rods El may be of'such length as to position the lens at a suitable and desired. distance below'the opening ii. The drum 85 closing the space between ceiling and lens may be transparent, translucent or opaque and of any material giving the efiect desired and may be colored or not as desired so that suitable lighting efiects may be obtained, as will be understood.

So much of the lighting fixture as has been described is shown and claimed in our copending application Serial Number 128,094 filed February 27, 1937.

The lens or light transmitting disc 25 of this invention is illustrated as a modified piano-convex lens of suitable light transmitting material having a plurality of concentric approximately vertical faces or surfaces id, a central convex surface 72 within the innermost conical surface It and a plurality of convex surface portions ill defined by the succeeding outer concentric conical surfaces it.

In the preferred embodiment the vertical surfaces ld may be coated, painted or otherwise colored with the same or different media,"such as, for instance, a heat resisting lacquer as indicated at T6 in Figure 2, so that the light passing therethrough in a lateral direction or to the side shall be of a desired color in contradistinction to the vertical component of the light which may pass through the lens unchanged for purposes of illumination. Obviously, it is within the purview of the invention to color the surfaces 14 also,

if desired;

In lieu of. applying a lacquer to surfaces of the lens 25, the glass itself, say, of selected surfaces, such as 10.,m'ay have a ceramic treatment, as a coating to obtain the .deslredcolor effects.

This invention provides a lighting fixturev including a source of light cooperating with the novel light transmitting lens shown below the 4 source of light. On the surface away from the source of light, the lens has a plurality of concentric light refracting areas. 14 the surfaces of which are at a small angle to the general plane of the lens. Light from the source of light passing through the lens is refracted by the areas 14 and produces a cone of illumination or an illuminated cone. ,The lens is also defined by colored light transmitting surfaces 10 substantially perpendicular to the plane of the lens which bounds the light refracting areas 14. When an observer, not within .the cone of illumination, views the lens he sees a colored area because of the effect of the colored light transmitting surfaces 10. Assuming an observer is at the right of a lighting flxture arranged as in Figures 1 and 2, he will not see the colored surfaces I0 near him as such but the light rays passing through the lens and impinging on the back of these colored surfaces will be reflected thereby and transmitted 7 through the light retracting portion 14 as colored aiaacir fracting area-immediately inside of a given surface and transmit colored light from the light refracting zonev immediately outside a. given colored surface thus to the observer the lens is completely colored and surrounded by a colored corona.

It will thus be seen that a lighting fixture or lens therefore has been provided capable of giving pleasing and unusual color effects in lateral directions, for instance, while the vertical component of the light is capable of use for general illumination purposes.

Various modifications will occur to those skilled in the art, in the composition, configuration and disposition of the component elements going to make up the invention as a whole, as well as in the selection and/or combination of various features and their use individually or in combination and no limitation is intended by the phraseology of the foregoing description or illustrations in the accompanying drawing, except as indicated in the appended claims.

What is claimed is;

1. In a lighting fixture, a source of light, a light transmitting lens below thesource of light having on its surface opposite the source of light a plurality of concentric light, refracting areas the surfaces of which'are at small angles to the lens, through which light rays pass to form an illuminated cone, colored light transmitting surfaces substantially perpendicular to the plane of the lens bounding the said concentric areas to color the lens when viewed from outside'the cone of light and form a corona about the lens, the half of the lens away from the observer being colored by reflected light and the other half b transmitted light.

2. In a, lighting fixture, means fordirecting light downwardly toward a. lens, a substantially planar light transmitting lens having on its surface opposite-the light directing means annular light transmitting lens below the source of light with means for mounting said lens adjacent an opening in said partition, said lens having on its surface opposite the source of light annular refracting zones to direct the beams of light transmitted by said lens, and a substantially perpendicular colored light transmitting surface boundlug each annular refracting zone whereby when the lens is viewed from outside the cone of light produced by the annular refracting zones the half of the lens away from the observer is colored by reflected light and the other half by transniltted light.

J. SAMUEL HAMEL. RICHARD C. ENGELKEN. 

